Showing posts with label wedding gift. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wedding gift. Show all posts

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Wedding Planning and Pottery - A Wonderful Combination....

When a bride and groom come into the Studio to order a custom, personalized tray as a Thank You for their parents for their wedding, they leave excited with all the possibilities our Studio can offer. Besides creating one of a kind handmade trays, we create custom pieces for Bridesmaids and Groomsmen. We also offer fabulous alternatives to a ring pillow. Our handmade ring dishes are created with custom text and a place to tie the rings onto the dish with a ribbon during the wedding ceremony. After the ceremony, the bride will have a treasured remembrance which she can use everyday to remind her of that special day.
In addition to creating one of a kind pieces, we also offer one of a kind experiences for the bridal party and friends and family who are in town for the event. We can schedule private events for bridal showers, or a grooms night out, or a session for the extended families to share a new experience and bond with a fun and wholesome activity for adults and children alike. If your group is more interested in a paint and glaze experience, we can create custom pieces for your guests to paint and glaze with personalized text and textural elements.
At Big Dog Pots Pottery we provide a range of services to help make that extraordinary day, exceptional. Contact us at (540) 364-2834 to discuss your ideas!

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Coming Back Down to Earth.....or MUD!

It has been an exciting time here for sure.  With the purchase of our new studio property and renovations getting ready to begin, I have returned to the studio, and returned to the mud.

When I first started with pottery, the clay that I used was a warm red brown.  Clay is found in many different types, colors, and consistencies and all of these work in different ways depending upon your application.

It happened that the first bag of clay available to me at the time was red brown, and so that is what I started with.

As I begin my pieces in clay, I visualize the end result.  So that when I begin, I know what clay I want to use.  Clay responds differently all along the process.  Some clay is more malleable and as such may not be good for hand building projects, some clay has more grog (sediment) in it and may just work wonders for particular throwing applications or three dimensional projects.  But all clay respond differently to glazes.  I made this little informational reference for my customers so that they could visualize how their clay choice would impact the end result of their custom pieces.  I learned a long time ago that it is always easier to start with a draft, this visual has been quite helpful.

I received a new custom order just yesterday, and seeing as the wedding is just around the corner, I decided to go ahead and get these trays underway.  They are going to be Wedding Thank You gifts from the bride and groom to their parents, and the wedding with be at a beach venue.  The bride and groom picked red brown clay, and a wonderful crab impression at the center piece.  These trays are still wet, but are well on their way to becoming a family keepsake.  They are a joy to make and I am looking forward to how these will come out.  The bride and groom have not decided on their glazes just yet, and that is part of the fun of custom orders, I get to create someone else's vision.


Saturday, April 6, 2013

Unique Gift for Wedding, Anniversary, Retirement, or Any Special Occasion




Lace Tray made with handmade Italian 
Wedding Lace




When I first started working with clay I had some "big" ideas about projects I wanted to try.  This tray was one of them.  It is a favorite piece for me to create and I am always surprised with the results.  These trays are made by impressing wedding lace and then individually glazing each and every petal.   They are wonderful as a wedding gift, anniversary present, retirement, or just to have and to enjoy.


These are wonderful for any season.  I have created this in fall these, spring, summer, and even in winter shades using wonderful pastels.


It takes me about 2 hours to glaze a single tray.  Some of my pottery friends think I am "nuts" to make these, but I just keep making them.  I love how the lace appears after the final firing.


 Yes, these are not your average pottery run.  There are normally an average of 4 runs per tray to achieve the final result.




Monday, August 27, 2012

The Creative Process

It is always surprising to me how I come up with a new idea. Sometimes, I just see a color and my mind starts to wander and the next thing I know I am working on something that seems to capture the essence of the color I was originally thinking about. That is sort of how this piece came to me. I have been very interested in working with soft blue/cream/white glaze recently, and I thought that the texture in this piece would really be interesting with a soft blue behind it...so...into the studio I went, and this is what I came out with today..... This is a "prototype" and I made this one for me, but I am going to be making another one for my nephew who is getting married in September (shhhhh! don't tell him ;)). So this is what I have so far, I will be offering these as a custom item on my ETSY store. They are quite versatile and can be customized to match just about any need, or any theme! FUN! Here is the link to my ETSY listing for this piece: https://www.etsy.com/listing/107940786/customized-engraved-ceramic-pottery-wall